Eglin ceremony honors Martin Luther King

Published: Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 01:51 PM.

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EGLIN AFB — In the mid-1970s when Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Marcus Snoddy was 9 years old, he had an eye injury that landed him in a hospital in Birmingham, Ala.
For some time he had patches over his eyes and couldn’t see. Despite that, he and another child in his wing named Kevin— also with his eyes bandaged — became friends.
They shared the common bonds of little boys: a love of sports and books and practical jokes.
“We couldn’t see, but that didn’t stop us from getting to know each other — and getting into mischief,” Snoddy said. “We weren’t concerned with what each other looked like. To us, it didn’t matter.”
When the bandages came off, Snoddy saw that Kevin was white and Kevin saw that Snoddy was black.
Nothing changed.
“He was still Kevin, I was still me, and we were still friends,” Snoddy said Tuesday during a celebra-tion of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life at Eglin Air Force Base’s East Gate Chapel.
Snoddy was born in Birmingham in 1966, three years after King helped lead a bloody struggle to desegregate the city.
Snoddy’s aunt experienced the German shepherds and water hoses that police used to attack demonstrators, even young school children.
Snoddy said when he reflects on that experience in the hospital, he realizes how meaningful it was.
“It showed just how significant Dr. King’s contributions to humanity were despite the brevity of his life,” he said.
King was assassinated in 1968 at 39 years old.
“I was born when Dr. King’s dream was still a dream, but watched the seeds start to take root,” Snoddy said. “Dr. King is a part of me.”
About 100 people attended Tuesday’s ceremony, organized by Eglin’s Equal Opportunity Office in advance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.
Master Sgt. Yvette Hughes-Mayo sat in a pew listening to Snoddy and enjoying the performance by the Eglin Brotherhood Choir.
“It’s always important to know where you came from, for you to know where you are going to go,” she said after the ceremony.
Even though Monday is a holiday, the event’s theme encouraged visitors to think about what actions they can take to further King’s dreams.
“Let us remember this is a day on, not a day off,” Staff Sgt. Grace Taylor said during the ceremony. “It’s a day for us to act in unity and a day for us to celebrate how far we have come as a union.”

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EGLIN AFB — In the mid-1970s when Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Marcus Snoddy was 9 years old, he had an eye injury that landed him in a hospital in Birmingham, Ala.
For some time he had patches over his eyes and couldn’t see. Despite that, he and another child in his wing named Kevin— also with his eyes bandaged — became friends.
They shared the common bonds of little boys: a love of sports and books and practical jokes.
“We couldn’t see, but that didn’t stop us from getting to know each other — and getting into mischief,” Snoddy said. “We weren’t concerned with what each other looked like. To us, it didn’t matter.”
When the bandages came off, Snoddy saw that Kevin was white and Kevin saw that Snoddy was black.
Nothing changed.
“He was still Kevin, I was still me, and we were still friends,” Snoddy said Tuesday during a celebra-tion of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life at Eglin Air Force Base’s East Gate Chapel.
Snoddy was born in Birmingham in 1966, three years after King helped lead a bloody struggle to desegregate the city.
Snoddy’s aunt experienced the German shepherds and water hoses that police used to attack demonstrators, even young school children.
Snoddy said when he reflects on that experience in the hospital, he realizes how meaningful it was.
“It showed just how significant Dr. King’s contributions to humanity were despite the brevity of his life,” he said.
King was assassinated in 1968 at 39 years old.
“I was born when Dr. King’s dream was still a dream, but watched the seeds start to take root,” Snoddy said. “Dr. King is a part of me.”
About 100 people attended Tuesday’s ceremony, organized by Eglin’s Equal Opportunity Office in advance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.
Master Sgt. Yvette Hughes-Mayo sat in a pew listening to Snoddy and enjoying the performance by the Eglin Brotherhood Choir.
“It’s always important to know where you came from, for you to know where you are going to go,” she said after the ceremony.
Even though Monday is a holiday, the event’s theme encouraged visitors to think about what actions they can take to further King’s dreams.
“Let us remember this is a day on, not a day off,” Staff Sgt. Grace Taylor said during the ceremony. “It’s a day for us to act in unity and a day for us to celebrate how far we have come as a union.”